In 1904, a Quaker woman named Elizabeth Magie was granted a patent for a board game she invented and called "The Landlord's Game." Magie intended her game to be a teaching tool, alerting people to the economic dangers of "monopolies" of land and power. A follower of economist Henry George, she wanted to show how such "monopolies" would benefit few but be to the detriment of many.
Like the later game Monopoly, The Landlord's Game had a corner on it's playing board with "Public Parking," but it also had the "Poor House" and "Easy Street." If you trespassed on "Lord Blueblood's Estate," you were sent to jail (and we are betting you did not collect $200).
Charles Darrow is credited with the idea of the board game Monopoly which obviously takes it's set-up from Magie's game, but the object of the game is the opposite. In Monopoly, the winning player is the one who can buy, rent, or sell as much property as possible to turn the highest profit. Family game night with a side of Capitalism, anyone?
